The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-30
THE REFORMATORY ABUSES
Cover nor Gray Refuses to Give to the
Public the Testimony That He Took.
Miss Keely, the Superintendent, Says that
the Governors Statement of His InyeS-
tigation Is Not Entirely Fair.

| The revelation of questionable usages in pun
| shment at the Women's Reformatory has been
| matter OF general comment since it appeared,
and the more SO because it was contended and
| generally believed at the time when the institu
ton was founded that giving the control of fe-
| male prisoners to women would effectually end
any cruelty unnecessary severity in their treat
ment Governor Gray was requested yesterday
by Journal reporter to permit the publication
of the testimony that he had taken, because it
was claimed by friends of the institution that he
stated the case more strongly than he should.
and because former inmates of the institution
are claiming that the abuses are worse than he
had stated. He replied: 81 do not think it would
be proper to do SO. I do not desire to appear as
making an attack on the institution. 1 made
the Investigation for my own information
"But if the evidence shows all you have
stated and nothing moro, there is as much inn
propriety, if any, in tine statement already made
OF What the evidence shows as in publishing the
evidence itself"
II do not think it would be proper to publish
the statement of the prisoners against the Off
GERS taken in this way. Prisoners always COM
plain. They would com plain if kept on q feather
bed and fed with spoon. They do not enjoy
being in prison."
sit would be much satisfactory to the
OluSrenC
draw different differences from the same testi-
mony.
Possibly, but gave you full statement Of
what the evidence shows yesterday and you
stated it fairly in the paper this morning. 1
have object for srppressng anything IL
there was anything wrong would have no hest
fancy in giving it to you
Miss Keely the superintendent of the Reform
atory. takes some exceptions to Governor Gray's
statements. She says there have been
abuses, and that in every case he sifted to the
bottom he said that instead Of the punishment
being too heavy, it was light She claims
that Whipping and Handwriting resorted to
four times in two years. In speaking of what
she considers IAN extreme case" Miss Keely
said IA girl who was brought here-Minnie
Ross-sprune on to one OF the women in the
laundry and tried to kill her. Mrs. johnson got
her away from the woman. but she sprang back
and grabbed a red-hot iron. saying she would
her We came near her. but she con
tinued to threaten. We got all the other
women out of the laundry into the sc wing-room
aud locked them no. fearing an insurrection.
Minnie put down the iron, but got a knife with
which she had scraped starch from tho irons
Then we rang for Mr.. Gray, the ngneer, and
the girl ran down into the wash house and took
a can Of hot water. saying she would scald Mr.
Gray. He lodged the water, but she had a can
Of boiling starch, which she ATTEMPTED to throw
at him. 1t fell from her hands and ran over the
floor. and she slipped in 1t herself and was
secured. She was brought down here and hand
cuffed for about six hours each day for three
the board, with the addition of . bread and
water diet. She staid here week,
but handcuffed for only three days.
We handcuff them when they make an at
tempt on their some else's life,
when they destroy their clothes, bedding or
cells. You cannot imagine the ingenuity they
have The walls Of these cells are brick. and
one of these mean ones can pick a hole clear
through them in anight with her fingers. With
a pair of scissors nail, which they some
times manage to conceal, they can tear up the
wooden floor. Three different ones have climbed
upon the grating of the door and torn the sheet
iron ceiling entirely off, One succeeded in
making such hole through the sheet-iron and
oak ceiling that she climbed up into the attic
above. One girl. whose hands were fastened
outside the door. reached more than q
foot and stuffed the lock full of pieces of her
dress she had chewed into paste Some tear
the bed-clorhing in pieces try to hang them
selves suffocate themselves with gas. 1t
seems to me little more humane to fasten
them up or whip them than it is TO let them kill
themselves some one else"
When asked who did the whipping, Miss Kee-
ley said: THE assistant SUPERINTENDENT. in my
presence. No blow is struck, no punishment of
any kind is inflicted by any one but her. and
never unless am present. Usually limb from
peach tree in the yard is employed. but in the
worst cases a leather band like that used
sewing machine wheels is used. Black and blue
marks are left sometimes. That is unavoid abls.
II a woman needs whipping she needs it bad
enough to hurt her. and then the flesh of some is
easily bruised. think it almost impossible to
whip woman without leaving a mark. But
which is worse, . mark the flesh
ungovernable, murderoas passions left uncon-
trolled. This Handwriting could be done away
with if the cells were lined with shest-iron, as
Governor Gray advises, but even then they could
tear their clothing and bedding"
Miss Keely says that putting court-plaster
the mouths of prisoners had been done but
once. and that on account of quarreline between
two women. She says that the only officer who
uses her tongue indiscreetly is the prison
tron who has q bad temper and is in the habit
of scolding AS to the loose STEP she says that
it has bNsn nailed down repeatedly and that the
women tear it loose 1t was nailed down only
three days before Mrs. Morton fell and injured
herself